Dates:
(1836 - ?)
Known for:
Confederate spy
About Laura Ratcliffe:
Laura Ratcliffe's home in the Frying Pan area, Fairfax County, Virginia, was sometimes used as a headquarters by CSA Col. John Singleton Mosby of Mosby's Rangers during the American Civil War.
Early in the war, Laura Ratcliffe discovered a Union plan to capture Mosby and notified him of it so that he could elude capture. When Mosby captured a large cache of federal dollars, he had her hold the money for him. She used a rock near her home to conceal messages and money for Mosby.
Laura Ratcliffe was also associated with Major General J.E.B. Stuart.
Although it was obvious that her home was the center of Confederate activity, she was never arrested or formally charged for her activities.
She married Milton Hanna.
